I intended no metaphor for our post-election states of mind, as I began these works in October. But it will please me if they impart hope or inspiration during this particularly challenging time in our country. Despair is not an option. Arks are an option.

Many of our minds immediately form an image of Noah and animals two by two when we hear the word “ark”. In our own lifetimes, dedicated conservationists and environmentalists are working as Noah did, to help protect species from extinction. As an artist, I’m struggling to find a way to participate. Working with vintage elements from around the world, including original engravings from the 17th to 19th centuries - not copies of them – I got lost in a mixed media world of arks for animals that felt a bit talismanic. The word talisman is derived from the Arabic tilsam and the Greek telema, which relate to performing a rite associated with an outcome.